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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 13, 17 July 1885, Page 16

The report of the managers of St. Mary's Industrial schools at Nelson, which we publish elsewhere, cannojt but be interesting to all who take some thought for the welfare of the destitute children of the Colony. In spite of heavy difficulties, the committee have successfully carried on these institutions to a point which must surprise those who remember the tart of the affair only a -very short time

ago. There is an immediate necessity for increasing the accommoda tion. The committee intend, we believe, starting an art-nnion upon a very grand scale to enable them to raise some portion of the money ' needed. The object must commend itself to every person who can feel for the sad lot of the destitute orphan. The ingenuity of Sir George Grey in the matter of devising Bills has possibly reached its climax in that Bill introduced by him on Wednesday— to prevent babies from sucking lucifer matches Whether Sir George will be considered' a saint or a sinner in mos* nurseries however remains to be seen. >

The Russian imbroglio threatens once more to become prominent amongst the alarms of the day. It hardly reassures us to hear that General Komaroff, in answer to a despatch to the effect that the Afghans are still advancing, has been ordered by his Government to remain strictly on the defensive— General Komaroff, we may remember, was acting on the defensive when' he attacked and routed the Afghans at Penj-deh,— and a secoad feat of the kind can hardly be passed over so lightly.

Accoding to certain of the English newspapers the prospects of a lasting peace are gloomy, and those of a victorious war on the part of England still more so.— Prince Bismarck, it is raported, seems determined on involving the country in question in hostilities with one nation or another, and has determined that, should it be with Russia, the English fleet shall be kept out of the fight as much as possible so as to oblige the fortunes of the day to be tried on land, where the British power is inferior.

In another place we publish the acknowledgment by Mr. Joseph Winter, Hon. Treasurer of the Federal Council of the Irish National League, of the receipt from Dunedin of £266 12s si, being the sum of £267 19s 4d, less cost of order £1 6s 11.

At the last meeting of the Dunedin Catholic Literary Society, the Rev. W. Burke gave the second part of hia interesting paper on the Scottish Reformation. The third and concluding part will be given at the meeting to night.

Subscbiptions towards the Irish National League and Payment of Members' Fund, stilL continue to testify to the patriotism of the men of the West Coast. The Secretary of the League at Dunedin received last week from Mr. M. D. Regan Hon. Treasurer of the Westport Branch, the Sam of £32 14s Od to be forwarded to Mr. Joseph Winter of Melbourne, in aid of the good cause.

The Hugo Minstrels still continue to draw good houses in Dunedin, and are deservedly very popular.

A meeting of aspirants to the women's and girls' branch of the Association of the Sacred Heart will be held at the Dominican Convent, Bunedin, this day, at 7 p.m.

The English papers to hand by the last mail teem with the most extraordinary accounts of the business transacted at Borne between the Pope and the Irish Bishops. Ie is needless to say that the imaginations of the various corrrespondeats and editors have been brought most actively into play, for of genuine information on the subject they treat of they have not received one scrap. Of course, they represent the Pope as furious at the conduct of the bishops towards the Irish cause, and as horrified beyond all measure because those prelates did not avail themselves of their new privilege of precedence at Dublin Castle, and hasten to do obeisance to the Prince of Wales One might think they had some punctilious groom of the chambers to" deal with rather than one of the most manly and dignified Popes that ever filled the chair of Peter—or that the Queen of England were the Defender of the Faith in real earnest.